Mayfair Hotel (St. Louis, Missouri) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Mayfair Hotel
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 Location in St. Louis
Location in Missouri
Location in the United States
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| Location | 806 St. Charles Ave., St. Louis, Missouri |
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| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | c. 1924-26 |
| Architect | Bradshaw, Preston J. |
| NRHP reference No. | 79003638 |
| Added to NRHP | September 17, 1979 |
The Magnolia Hotel St. Louis is a very old and famous hotel in downtown St. Louis, Missouri. For most of its history, it was known as the Mayfair Hotel. It's a special building that has seen many changes over the years.
Contents
The Mayfair Hotel's Beginning
Who Started the Hotel?
The Mayfair Hotel was started by a man named Charles Heiss. He was a hotelier, which means he was an expert at running hotels. Charles Heiss came from Bavaria, a region in Germany. He had a lot of experience working in hotels in Europe, Canada, and America.
He even worked as an assistant manager at the famous Knickerbocker Hotel in New York. Later, he managed a hotel for Statler Hotels, which was one of the first big hotel chains in America. Heiss moved to St. Louis to manage the Statler hotel there. After a disagreement with Mr. Statler, he decided to build his own, even better hotels in St. Louis.
Building the Hotel
The Mayfair Hotel was designed by a well-known architect from St. Louis named Preston J. Bradshaw. The hotel's tall, 18-story building was constructed between 1924 and 1925. It was built with strong concrete and covered with red brick and terra cotta. Terra cotta is a type of baked clay used for building.
The building used a lot of terra cotta for its outer walls, window frames, decorations, and cornices. A cornice is a decorative molding along the top of a wall or building. The hotel also had three fast elevators, which were operated by people called elevator operators.
Grand Opening Day
The Mayfair Hotel officially opened its doors on August 29, 1925. On that day, there was a special private dinner for the 120 people who owned parts of the hotel and the builders. The very next evening, about 4,000 guests were invited for a big grand opening party and dedication ceremony.
What Was Inside the Mayfair?
Special Features and Services
The Mayfair Hotel offered many fancy services for its guests. It had a barbershop with nine chairs for haircuts and shaves. There was also a beauty parlor with six booths, which was special because these services were usually in the basement of hotels.
The hotel also had private dining rooms. Guests could enjoy a luxurious lounge area on the mezzanine floor. The mezzanine is a low story between two main floors, often just above the lobby.
Famous Visitors and Radio
Many famous people stayed at the Mayfair Hotel over the years. These included well-known artists and politicians like Irving Berlin, John Barrymore, Douglas Fairbanks, Cary Grant, Harry Truman, and Lyndon B. Johnson.
In 1925, a radio station called KMOX started broadcasting from a studio located on the hotel's mezzanine floor. KMOX installed a very expensive organ, costing $18,000. They held organ concerts every day at noon and again between 6 and 7 p.m. for listeners.
Changes Over the Years
Renovations and Historic Status
In 1977, the hotel underwent a big renovation. About 85 rooms were removed to make other rooms larger or to create new spaces. The inside of the hotel was redecorated. However, the renovators tried to keep as many of the original features as possible. This helped to maintain the building's historic value.
Because of its importance and history, the hotel was added to the National Register of Historic Places on September 17, 1979. This list includes buildings, sites, and objects that are important in American history.
New Owners and New Name
The hotel was sold in 2003 to two local businessmen, Michael and Steven Roberts. They renamed it the Roberts Mayfair Hotel. For a while, the hotel was managed by Wyndham Hotels. The Roberts brothers also built a tall apartment building, called a condominium tower, next to the hotel. However, this project was not successful.
Because of this, they had to sell the hotel to a company called UrbanStreet Group in 2012. UrbanStreet Group then sold it again for $4 million to Magnolia Hotels in 2013. Magnolia Hotels renovated the hotel once more. They reopened it in 2014 with its current name, the Magnolia Hotel St. Louis.
